ProShare Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG)

ProShare Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Dollar General Co. (NYSE:DG - Free Report) by 25.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 31,468 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,511 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Dollar General were worth $2,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DG. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Dollar General during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Providence First Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Dollar General by 279.8% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 490 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Dollar General in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 91.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dollar General Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DG traded up $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $101.44. 2,238,989 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,025,916. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.63. Dollar General Co. has a twelve month low of $66.43 and a twelve month high of $145.94. The firm has a market cap of $22.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.17. Dollar General had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 18.85%. The firm had revenue of $10.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.83 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Dollar General Co. will post 5.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 8th were paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 8th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. Dollar General's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on DG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (down previously from $90.00) on shares of Dollar General in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Dollar General from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Melius upgraded shares of Dollar General from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Dollar General from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $96.48.

Insider Activity at Dollar General

In other Dollar General news, EVP Emily C. Taylor sold 809 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.72, for a total value of $76,628.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 48,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,596,951.04. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Dollar General Profile

Dollar General Corporation, a discount retailer, provides various merchandise products in the southern, southwestern, midwestern, and eastern United States. It offers consumable products, including paper and cleaning products, such as paper towels, bath tissues, paper dinnerware, trash and storage bags, disinfectants, and laundry products; packaged food comprising cereals, pasta, canned soups, fruits and vegetables, condiments, spices, sugar, and flour; and perishables that include milk, eggs, bread, refrigerated and frozen food, beer, and wine.